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CITY OF TUCUMCARI SPECIAL MEETING APRIL 3, 2007 The Tucumcari City Commission met in special session on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, at 6:00 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers. Members present constituting a quorum were Christopher Maestas, Jim Lafferty, Antonio Apodaca, Mary Mayfield, and Jim Witcher. City staff members present were Clara Rey, Interim City Manager; Marty Garcia, Finance Director/Assistant City Manager; Jeannette Maddaford, City Clerk/Assistant Finance Director; Mike Cherry, Fire Chief; Doug Powers, Community Development Director; Policeman Chief Larry Ham; Ron Wilmot, Convention Center Director; Joe Ramirez, Wastewater Superintendent; and Rick Sanchez, Assistant Wastewater Superintendent. Mayor Mary Mayfield called the meeting to order and led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance. Consideration of Additions/ Deletions None
Ordinances and Resolutions RESOLUTION
2007-12 A RESOLUTION DECLARING A DISASTER was introduced by Fire Chief Mike
Cherry who reported that the Resolution was being submitted as a contingency
measure due to the hail storm in case something comes up that has not been
identified yet, i.e. the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Governor has declared the three counties of Roosevelt, Curry,
and Quay a disaster area, so public assistance would be made available at 75%
for any government infrastructure and/or overtime. In addition the President has signed a declaration naming Curry
County and Quay County eligible for individual assistance. Cherry reported that
this is only the second time the state has received this designation and the
first time for these counties. This
means individuals that have received damage for lack of insurance or for any
needs they can call FEMA Field Office for assistance. A motion was made by Commissioner Witcher and seconded by
Commissioner Lafferty to approve Resolution 2007-12 declaring a disaster. Roll Call: Lafferty Apodaca Mayfield Witcher Maestas Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Interim City Manager’s Report Clara Rey, Interim City Manager, noted that the problem at the Wastewater Treatment Plant might have been caused by the storm. It is still to be determined. She reported that she had called all the Commissioners and notified them that there was a problem going on at the Wastewater Treatment Plant. At the time, Rick Sanchez was the Interim Wastewater Superintendent and since then Joe Ramirez has rejoined the City as Wastewater Superintendent. She thanked Rick for all his hard work and welcomed Joe back and thanked him for coming out to the Plant after he got off work to see how he could assist. She called on Rick Sanchez and Joe Ramirez to explain what happened at the Plant. They explained that Friday night after the storm, Rick went to check on the Plant and found the pumps not running as they were submerged under water. Rick then acquired portable pumps and started pumping the water through the plant. Once the water was low enough, the pumps still would not start due to the belts slipping, so the he had to continue with the portable pumps. Later, after the belts were dry, the pumps would not prime thus not moving any water. So again the portable pumps were called into action. Everything was checked out to determine why the pumps would not work. A power surge during the storm was suspected as the cause. The manufacturer of the pumps was called as well as the design engineer. They gave information that has led to the investigation of the mechanical seal. A firm from Albuquerque has been contacted to inspect of the pumps. Ramirez noted that the Environmental Protection Agency and State Environmental Department were contacted and a written report was submitted to them. The Environmental Department’s scheduled inspection was moved up and they are scheduled to be in Tucumcari Wednesday, April 4, 2007. He assured the Commissioners that at no point raw sewage was sent down stream. He stated that they had full treatment and partial treatment. Since Monday they have been running tests from the head of the plant to the outflow at Breen’s pond. Mayor Mayfield and the Commissioners thanked everyone that worked so hard on the problem. Rey thanked everyone and especially Rick for the long hard hours.
Rey reported that she had determined through research and visiting with the New Mexico Solid Waste Bureau that the City will have to advertise for Requests for Proposals for Engineering Services for the new landfill to be in compliance and the procurement to be correct. She reported a meeting was held with Engineer’s Inc. to notify them and that it was not a reflection on them. Also the liner will not be installed for another four weeks in order to give the cell time to dry out due to the storm. This will give more time to work on the sand issue, get test results back, and make sure that the City’s funding is in order. She noted that she met with Dan Fuqua and Mrs. Marks of the Solid Waste Bureau in Santa Fe and they have helped her to understand the process. She reported that the City contact person and project coordinator for the landfill construction project will be Doug Powers, so that the Solid Waste Bureau, the engineers, and contractors have one person to coordinate the work and who is knowledgeable about the project. Rey acknowledged that everything was on track and everything was going good. She also reported that City Offices would be closed a half day for Easter the afternoon of April 6. Executive Session Mayor Mayfield acknowledged that only limited personnel matters pursuant to the Open Meetings Act 10-15-1(H)2 were discussed during the closed meeting held on Saturday, March 24, 2007, and no action was taken. A motion was made by Commissioner Witcher and seconded by Commissioner Lafferty to go into Executive Session for the purpose of discussing limited personnel matters pursuant to the Open Meetings Act 10-15-1(H)2. Time noted 6:20 p.m. Roll Call: Mayfield Witcher Maestas Lafferty Apodaca Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Return from Executive Session. Time noted 8:00 p.m. A motion was made by Commissioner Witcher and seconded by Apodaca that only limited personnel matters were discussed pursuant to the Open Meetings Act 10-15-1(H)2 and no action was taken. Roll Call: Witcher Maestas Lafferty Apodaca Mayfield Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Items from Commissioners Commissioner Witcher stated that the City was in a time of flux between City Managers and the City has had some pretty major crises. He noted that the staff has pulled together and done an outstanding job and for this he said thank you.
Mayor Protem Apodaca echoed Commissioner Witcher’s comments. He stated that Clara Rey has done an excellent job in the short time in the position. Also he would not be present for the work session with Consensus Planning on Thursday. Commissioner Lafferty reminded everyone of the meeting with Consensus Planning on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. and the joint meeting with the other governing entities and the Economic Development Commission at 6:00 p.m. at the Convention Center. Mayor Mayfield reminded everyone of the District IV meeting of the New Mexico Municipal League at the Convention Center on Wednesday. She encouraged everyone to attend to show their support. Adjournment There being no further business, a motion to adjourn was made by Commissioner Witcher and seconded by Commissioner Apodaca. Time noted 8:03 p.m. Roll Call: Maestas Lafferty Apodaca Mayfield Witcher Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes ______________________________ Mary Mayfield, Mayor ATTEST: ____________________________ Jeannette Maddaford, City Clerk |
